Boston College Chronicle by Boston College

The Boston College

Chronicle Published by the Boston College Office of News & Public Affairs january 30, 2015 VOL. 22 no. 10

•CSOM’s Gallaugher lends expertise to Boston Tech Guide, page 2 •Burns exhibit on unique Catholic activists, page 2

•Sociology’s McGuffey looks at ICC and Africa, page 3 •Photo: George Takei speaks in Robsham, page 3

Dining, Facilities, Police, ResLife keep campus in working order

The final week of January proved a memorable one for the Boston College community, as Winter Storm Juno dumped some two feet of snow and forced the University to shut down for two days. The University resumed normal operations yesterday; Woods College of Advancing Studies and evening classes that were scheduled for after 5 p.m. on Wednesday were held as planned. BC had formally closed at 5 p.m. on Monday, as snow associated with the arrival of Juno began to fall in the Boston area. But there was plenty of activity

•School of Social Work, Connell School programs go out into the world, page 5 •St. Columbkille Partnership School awarded grants, page 6 •“Elect Her” leadership program comes to BC, page 6 •Cahill wins award for theological excellence, page 6 •Update on BC Association of Retired Faculty, page 6 •Welcome Additions: new faculty members, page 7 •McMullen exhibition takes different look at “Roman art,” page 8 •Photos: Celebrating King’s legacy, page 8

By Sean Smith Chronicle Editor

For close to two hours last week, Boston College administrators, faculty and students gathered to listen to, and share, views about race. There was some tension and discomfort during the discussion, but also candor, empathy, and most of all, expressed hopes for more conversations. And that was the idea behind “Race in the USA: Expectations, Concerns and Hopes in 2015,” which took place Jan. 21 in Fulton 511. Sponsored by the Office of the Provost and Dean of Faculties and the Jesuit Institute, the forum was described by Provost David Quigley – in his welcome to the overflow audience in the auditorium and adjacent room – as “the first in what we hope to be a semester-long conversation about issues of race in the US,” prompted by the controversies in Ferguson, Mo., Staten Island, NY, and Cleveland, among other flashpoints. The forum, moderated by Jesuit Institute Director James Keenan, SJ, featured five faculty members who each offered both personal and aca-

Nina Low ’16

Cate McNulty ’16

The Boston College community chronicled Winter Storm Juno through social media. Go to BC Social [www.bc.edu/bcsocial] for more.

Starting the Conversation

Jan. 21 forum opens the door for campus discussions on race •BC women’s hockey keeps string intact, page 4

at the Heights during the 48-hour period BC was closed, as Dining Services, Facilities Services, Residential Life and Boston College Police staff worked extra hours to ensure essential services were maintained for students and others on campus. Many of these employees wound up staying overnight in makeshift accommodations, including the second and third floors of Maloney Hall, the Faculty Dining Room in McElroy Commons, and the Heights Room of Corcoran Commons. Dining Services Associate Director Megan O’Neill said about 75 BCDS employees helped to fill the Continued on page 4

Jenna Corcoran ’17

•STM grad student conference tomorrow, page 2

BLIZZARD SHUTTERS UNIVERSITY

Gary Wayne Gilbert

INSIDE

Goodman’s Mentoring Earns Award By Ed Hayward Staff Writer

A student speaks during the “Race in the USA” discussion last week.

demic perspectives about race: Law School Dean Vincent Rougeau, Associate Professor of History Martin Summers, Professor of English Min Song, School of Theology and Ministry Associate Professor Nancy Pineda-Madrid and Assistant Professor of Sociology Gustavo Morello, SJ. After the panelists spoke, the remainder of the event was given over to audience members’ questions and comments, which covered a wide range of subjects. Most speakers were undergraduates: Some talked about race and diversity matters at Boston College, or in more general terms; others shared their own specific experiences, observations and concerns – and in a few instances, responded

QUOTE:

to other students’ questions or comments. Early on in the discussion period, Ashlie Pruitt, a senior from Boston, introduced herself and spoke about the distress incidents such as those in Ferguson and Staten Island have had on her and other African-Americans at BC. She said she felt fortunate to have peers and allies to help her deal with emotions. “I challenge you all to stop being comfortable,” Pruitt said. “There is so much silence around this issue of racism. You need to step out of your comfort zone, and ask a person of color what their experience is. “And if you don’t know a person of color, that’s a problem,” added Continued on page 4

Among her many roles as a professor, Lynch School of Education Professor Lisa Goodman cherishes that of mentor to her graduate students, who she guides through their academic growth but also in their development as “change makers.” “I want them to gain the confidence and skills in the areas they have chosen to study,” said Goodman, who teaches in the Counseling, Developmental and Educational Psychology Department. “But with doctoral students we spend a ton of time together, talking and writing and thinking. I really enjoy getting to know where they are strongest and where I can help them get to that point of strength as they pursue their chosen careers.” That passion for empowering her graduate students to effect change earned Goodman a 2014 Elizabeth Hurlock Beckman Award, presented annually to faculty who have inspired students Continued on page 3

“One of the Darfurian refugees’ main concerns is to have heads of state held accountable for the violence, not just the people who fired the weapons, the lowlevel perpetrators. That is really important for the people I work with.” –Assoc. Prof. C. Shawn McGuffey (Sociology), page 3

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Chronicle january 30, 2015

A ROUND

C AMPUS

GUIDING THE WAY Silicon Valley has long been helped the Carroll School beconsidered the birthplace for come a breeding ground for entechnology start-ups, but that trepreneurs. He leads the school’s designation is coming under an annual TechTrek to Silicon Valintense challenge from the Bos- ley, San Francisco, Seattle, New ton area, home to hundreds of York City, and Ghana. He also emerging tech companies and oversees the Venture Launch and thousands of entrepreneurs and Tech for Good speaker series investors. In fact, for years, Bos- programs and helps run the anton has topped the list for most nual BC Venture Competition. venture capital invested per capi- Four companies with BC roots Lee Pellegrini ta in the US. (Jebbit, NBD Now, a new Nano, Wymsee publication has and Drizly) have sprung up to started up in just help keep track the past couple of the startof years and all up scene, and have gone on to tapped Carraise millions of roll School of dollars in fundManagement ing capital. BC’s Associate Prosuccess is clearly fessor John Galbeing noticed. laugher as one “At BC, of its resources. we’ve been leadGallaugher, a ing in engaging member of the the Greater BosCarroll School ton tech and enInformation trepreneurship Systems faculty, community, and joins a select list we’ve had treCSOM’s John Gallaugher, one of academic exmendous success of the resident experts for the perts in the Boswith our student new Boston Tech Guide. ton Tech Guide, innovators,” designed to be the technology says Gallaugher. “The TechTrek community’s “front door” in Boston program brings students finding educational, business de- to visit venture capitalists, startup velopment or career opportuni- accelerators, entrepreneurs and ties. area tech firms. Venture Launch “It’s a huge honor, but I feel and Tech for Good bring area a little like Wayne and Garth innovators to campus in proin the old ‘Saturday Night Live’ grams that really act like ‘learning skit: ‘I’m not worthy,’” says Gal- steroids’ and accelerate student laugher, referring to “Wayne’s opportunity through talks, workWorld.” “Among those included shops, and practitioner office are Joi Ito, who runs the MIT hours. Media Lab – perhaps the nation’s “These programs are a special, leading grad tech innovation pro- geography-derived competitive gram – and Harvard Business advantage that rivals can’t repliSchool’s Clayton Christensen, cate, although they have wonderwhose writings on disruptive in- ful faculty and bright students. novation may be the most influ- Their programs don’t have the ential management research in industrial base we have in Bostech circles today.” ton, so we lean hard on that asset But it’s hardly surprising to create something special for Boston Tech Guide would want Eagles.” to include Gallaugher, who has –Sean Hennessey

Director of NEWS & Public Affairs Jack Dunn Deputy Director of NEWS & Public AFFAIRS Patricia Delaney Editor Sean Smith

Contributing Staff Melissa Beecher Ed Hayward Sean Hennessey Rosanne Pellegrini Kathleen Sullivan Michael Maloney Photographers Gary Gilbert Lee Pellegrini

AN UNCOMMON DUO They were about 20 years apart in age, from very different backgrounds and circumstances: a young cigar-maker, a Londonborn son of poor Orthodox Jews who had immigrated to Boston in the 1870s; a Maine native from a prosperous Unitarian family, a widow whose daughter converted to Catholicism and became a nun. Yet David Goldstein and Martha Moore Avery made a fruitful connection with each other, first through the Socialist Labor Party movement of the 1890s, and then as crusaders for Catholicism. Goldstein and Avery’s unlikely pairing, and careers, are the subject of an exhibit now on display through the end of February in the Burns Library Ford Tower. “A Common Cause: The Lives and Work of David Goldstein and Martha Moore Avery” consists of writings, artifacts, scrapbooks and photographs that chronicle more than half a century of their activism, which took them across the country as they spoke out on women’s suffrage, birth control, labor and union issues, the role of religion in modern society and many other topics, according to Burns graduate student assistant Richard Bur-

A photo of Martha Moore Avery and David Goldstein with the Catholic Truth Guild van, circa 1919 – part of the Burns Library exhibit on Goldstein and Avery.

ley, writing in the Burns blog about the library’s collection of the Goldstein-Avery papers. The pair’s epiphany came at the turn of the 20th century when prominent socialist George Herron left his wife and family for a younger woman, spurring Goldstein and Avery to advocate for religious moral instruction in the SLP, drawing the ire of the party leadership in the process. By 1905, both had left the SLP and converted to Catholicism, then subsequently founded the Catholic Truth Guild as a vehicle

to address social and political controversies in a period of rapid cultural change. There’s also an important Boston College connection to Avery: She went on to help establish the Philomatheia Club at Boston College, a women’s auxiliary devoted to Catholic education. For information about Burns Library, see www.bc.edu/libraries/collections/burns.html. Read Richard Burley’s blog post about the David Goldstein and Martha Moore Avery Collection at http://bit.ly/1sGTQ9z. –Office of News & Public Affairs

TALKING ABOUT HOPE More than 150 graduate students are expected at Boston College this Saturday for a conference sponsored by Lumen et Vita, the student academic journal of the School of Theology and Ministry, and STM. “Sustained by Hope: The Place and Significance of Christian Hope in the World” will feature a keynote address by Fordham University Distinguished Professor of Theology Elizabeth Johnson, CSJ, followed by a response from STM student Susan Reynolds. Thirty graduate students from Boston College – representing STM and the Theology Department – the University of Notre

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Dame, Yale Divinity School, Providence College and Marquette University will present papers on different aspects of hope. “As students of theology, we need to tackle the tough questions: What is Christian hope and what makes it credible? How can we have hope in situations where there is suffering or violence?” said STM student Chelsea King, Lumen et Vita managing editor. The conference was created by graduate students, for graduate students, adds King. “It lets grad students present their scholarship in a professional setting.” STM faculty will serve as

mentors during the conference and select the top papers from each session for publication in a future issue of Lumen et Vita. Concluding the conference will be a panel discussion with STM students Rose Miola and Marcel Uwineza, SJ, and faculty members Richard Lennan and Nancy Pineda-Madrid, co-editors of Hope: Promise, Possibility, and Fulfillment. This is the second conference sponsored by Lumen et Vita, which last year organized “The Gospel in Contemporary Culture.” For program and registration information, see http://bit. ly/1xKVbsS. –Kathleen Sullivan

The Boston College Chronicle (USPS 009491), the internal newspaper for faculty and staff, is published biweekly from September to May by Boston College, with editorial offices at the Office of News & Public Affairs, 14 Mayflower Road, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467 (617)552-3350. Distributed free to faculty and staff offices and other locations on campus. Periodicals postage paid at Boston, MA and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: send address changes to The Boston College Chronicle, Office of News & Public Affairs, 14 Mayflower Road, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467.

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Chronicle january 30, 2015

Gary Wayne Gilbert

Continued from page 1 to work to benefit society. Goodman was one of 10 recipients recognized with the award last year. The Beckman Awards honor educators in the preferred fields of psychology, medicine, and law who have inspired their students to create an organization which has demonstrably conferred a benefit to society or who has established a lasting basis, concept, procedure, or movement of comparable benefit. Recipients receive a $25,000 one-time cash award from the Gail McKnight Beckman Trust. A distinguished researcher in the areas of intimate partner violence, supports for survivors and innovative mental health practices for low-income women and families, Goodman said it was an honor to be acknowledged for that aspect of her work she holds most dear. “To be recognized for the very exact thing that matters the most to you in your professional life is really thrilling,” said Goodman, a 15-year faculty member at Boston College. “This recognizes the relationships I develop with my students and that’s very affirming.” Goodman is the second current Lynch School faculty member to receive a Beckman Award. Augustus Long Professor of Counseling, Developmental, and Educational Psychology Janet Helms was honored in 2011. Goodman was nominated by one of her “change makers,” Lynch School alumna Rachel Latta, MA ’01, PhD ’08, a leading clinical research psychologist who focuses on intimate partner violence. Latta worked extensive-

By Kathleen Sullivan Staff Writer

“My mom always kept me focused on the ‘So what?’ question,” says Beckman Award winner Prof. Lisa Goodman (LSOE). “Which is what I always use with my students: ‘So what?’ really asks ‘What really matters here?’” ly in the US Department of Veterans Affairs system, and founded and directed the Safing Center at the Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital in Bedford, Mass., where she pioneered new approaches to working with veterans who perpetrated domestic violence. “One of Lisa’s real strengths is she sees students as whole people,” said Latta, who is now the director of trauma initiatives at the Center for Social Innovation in Needham, Mass. “She sees everything as interconnected, she cares about you as a person and she wants to know everything that is going on.” Latta said when she entered the doctoral program she would not have predicted she would have ended up working for an agency like the VA. Her focus was on community mental health services. But Goodman’s counsel led her from a research project to full-time work and a leadership role in the VA’s approach to intimate partner violence.

“Lisa helped me translate that initial work into a practice and a career,” said Latta. “I ended up really falling in love with it.” Goodman cites her mother, Joan Goodman, an educational psychologist who recently retired as a professor of education at the University of Pennsylvania, as her inspiration – her “guide” through life. Joan Goodman has always placed an emphasis on getting to the heart of the matter. “My mom always kept me focused on the ‘So what?’ question,” said Goodman. “Which is what I always use with my students: ‘So what?’ really asks ‘What really matters here?’” Goodman said she plans to use the $25,000 prize to help support her graduate students’ research interests. “It seems fitting to use it to help students take the next steps in their careers,” said Goodman. Contact Ed Hayward at ed.hayward@bc.edu

Photos by Christopher Huang Actor, activist and Internet personality George Takei presented “Media, Sexuality, and Identity” on Jan. 16 in Robsham Theater. Takei, a member of the original “Star Trek” TV series cast, talked about his childhood – including his experiences in a Japanese internment camp during World War II – and his long career in Hollywood. The event was sponsored by the Asian Caucus Cabinet, FACES, GLC and Allies.

Gary Wayne Gilbert

Boston College Sociologist Assesses ICC’s Role in Africa

Goodman Wins Beckman Award

Associate Professor of Sociology and African and African Diaspora Studies C. Shawn McGuffey participated in an international conference held late last year in Tanzania where scholars, practitioners, policymakers and activists gathered to make recommendations to the International Criminal Court (ICC) regarding its work in Africa. “Renewing the Promise of the International Criminal Court: A Critical Review of the Court’s Role in Promoting Accountability in Africa,” organized by the International Justice Project, the International Refugee Rights Initiative and the Pan-African Lawyers Union, tackled complex issues related to the ICC, particularly in terms of its effectiveness and issue of legitimacy with the African Union, said McGuffey. Participants came from across the globe and, though representing very diverse areas, all were passionate and deeply committed to making things better for victims of massive human rights abuses, according to McGuffey. McGuffey’s invitation to the conference stemmed directly from work he and his students conducted under a 2012-13 grant from the Institute for the Liberal Arts. Through the ILA-funded project, conducted in partnership with the International Justice Project in New Jersey and Physicians for Human Rights in Cambridge, McGuffey’s research team developed an instrument to measure trauma in Darfurian refugees. McGuffey, who had done previous work with trauma survivors in South Africa and Ghana, pointed out that there was a lack of data on the trauma experienced by Darfurian refugees. “To go to court, you need strong data to make a strong case,” he said. McGuffey said a tool needed to be developed specifically to measure the trauma in Darfurian refugees, who differed from victims of other genocides. The main issue was, he explained, was that the Darfurians share many similarities with the people who were trying to kill them. Measurement tools for working with this population needed to go beyond the Western/European framework of race and identity. “From a Western perspective, we might not see a lot of differences between the Janjaweed and the Darfurians, but they see very distinct differences with regard to race and ethnicity.” McGuffey and his research group interviewed Darfurian refugees throughout the United States. There are an estimated 2,500 Darfurian refugees living in the US, mostly in New York, New Jersey, Maine, Arizona and Utah. At the conference in Tanzania,

C. Shawn McGuffey

McGuffey and other participants discussed how to help the refugees and other victims of violence feel that their calls for justice are heeded. “I saw my role as making sure the voices of the refugees were heard by those making law and policy,” said McGuffey. “One of the Darfurian refugees’ main concerns is to have heads of state held accountable for the violence, not just the people who fired the weapons, the low-level perpetrators. That is really important for the people I work with.” Punishment for those involved in the violence is only part of the bigger picture of transitional justice, said McGuffey. “The law is just part of the narrative. It’s also about building schools where schools have been torn down, about bringing clean water and medical care to these places and about helping refugees who want to return. “Another contribution I made to the conversation was talking about what social science can do to help make cases in the ICC. I talked in technical terms about how to conduct interviews that were not only culturally competent but could stand up to the rigor of examination. You want to be respectful when you are interviewing survivors of trauma, but you have to weigh that against what is needed in court.” McGuffey also discussed the need to protect intermediaries – people who witnessed or survived genocide, crimes against humanity or mass atrocities, remained in the country and then provided information to the ICC investigators. While he left the conference hopeful, McGuffey acknowledges that not all the recommendations put forth may be acted upon. One important takeaway for him was of a more personal nature. “I knew we were doing important work, but I had never seen the end result. It was fascinating to see how my social science research contributed to the larger discussion of international justice. The tool was funded by the ILA, designed by academics, undergraduate and graduate students, and then used by an international court system. It was powerful to see that link, where academic research had real-world implications, even beyond the country it was designed in.”

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Discussion on Race Issues

Continued from page 1 Pruitt, repeating her name as the audience applauded and cheered. Interviewed the day after the forum, Fr. Keenan and the panelists cited the presence, and participation, of the students as one of the event’s high points. “It was wonderful to see them asking each other questions, and replying to one another,” said Fr. Keenan. “That was a vital part of the evening.” “The conversations the students had, with one another and all of us, were very real and without any pretension,” said Pineda-Madrid, vice president of the Academy of Catholic Hispanic Theologians of the United States. “There was enough trust in the room where they could put things out there, even some that were difficult.” “I’d been concerned that the forum would be dominated by the panelists, or ‘expert’ commentary,” said Summers, director of the African and African Diaspora Studies Program. “But what we saw were articulate young people of all backgrounds expressing frustrations, concerns, hopes – and above all a desire to have an authentic conversation about race on the BC campus, and in the US as a whole.” In a fairly brief span of time, the Q&A session touched on short and long-term responses – at BC and elsewhere – to the incidents of the past several months, to more general views on race issues, and how these are perceived from person to person. Mary Yuengert ’16 told the audience that she faced a dilemma: She wanted to join in the struggle

BLIZZARD Continued from page 1

gaps during the blizzard, including 46 who were left on campus Monday after the University closed. Fifteen staffers came in on Tuesday to provide assistance – although Massachusetts had instituted a driving ban, O’Neill explained, dining services employees on college campuses are considered “essential personnel” and were thus able to travel to campus. The advance warning for Juno and its potential severity enabled BCDS and other departments to prepare for an emergency situation, O’Neill explained, such as obtaining air mattresses and cots, knowing that they would be needed for employees staying overnight. “It’s a lot to hunker down for the night on an air mattress, away from your family, but our staff is used to it,” said O’Neill. “We look at it as an important part of the job: The students are stuck here, after all, and we want to make sure everyone’s taken care of.” O’Neill also praised the more than 30 student employees who lent

to end racial, social and economic injustice in the US, but wondered how she would be received by those who have suffered inequality – while she, as a white person, has benefited from the system. “I want to know how we can be good allies and join the fight for justice,” she said. “I can’t empathize because I’ve never been treated the way many black people have.” In reply, an African-American student recounted how much it meant to him when a white friend stood by him during a protest about the Michael Brown shooting in Ferguson. “Educate yourself, empathizing as much as possible,” he said. “Be a voice with us.” Interviewed a few days after the forum, Yuengert said she had felt “extremely sad and hurt” by the events in Ferguson and elsewhere, and discouraged by conversations on race issues these generated. At the “Race in the USA” forum, she’d hoped to see evidence that the University was aware of students’ concerns about race, and willing to provide a means for them to express their views. “I hoped that in addition to the panelists offering insight, the event would be a forum for students to communicate their personal feelings about race and the fight for racial equality in wake of last semester’s events, especially since one of the biggest obstacles to progress so far has been a lack of student dialogue about issues of race,” said Yuengert, an English and economics major from Carlisle, Pa. “These conversations typically don’t happen in casual settings, assistance during the two days. Facilities Services administrators estimated that about 225 employees – staff as well as contractors – were involved in snow management and removal. These efforts required 60 pieces of equipment, about 120 tons of bulk road salt and an additional 12 tons of bagged material. By the end of yesterday, some 20,000 yards of snow cleared from the three BC campuses had been hauled to Brighton Campus. But as Associate Director of Facilities Services Regina Bellavia noted, statistics tell only part of the story of BC’s response to Juno. “In a storm like this, you need all hands on deck – or, more appropriately, on a shovel,” she said. “Facilities has to clear the stairs, walkways, building entrances, fire hydrants, curb steps – and then haul all that snow away. There were some people who came to work 7:30 Monday morning and didn’t leave until about 9 p.m. Tuesday; one contractor stayed until Thursday morning. You just have to do the job, because people are depending on you.” Bellavia emphasized, however,

An overflow crowd attended the “Race in the USA” forum, held in Fulton Hall, which included remarks by a panel of faculty – among them Nancy Pineda-Madrid, below left, and Vincent Rougeau, below right,and a Q&A/ discussion that involved many students. (Photos by Gary Wayne Gilbert)

which has only led to further divide and misunderstanding. Both of these hopes were met by the event; it was very well run. I felt support from the faculty and the question and answer session proved to be civil and constructive. I think we the students really accomplished something there.” Reflecting on the event afterwards, Rougeau praised the students for “their engagement, which was articulate, respectful and passionate. They raised some hard questions but it felt very important to them to

ask those questions.” Song, the director of AsianAmerican Studies, said the forum revealed “a large, interested community who wants to talk about these issues.” Fr. Morello, who as a native Argentinean offered his perspective at the forum as a self-described “outsider,” said later that he was happy to see “the students able to talk among themselves, without even addressing the panel.” These opportunities are a way for people “to verbalize their pain,” but also their

the collaboration with other departments that made it possible to do the job. “Dining Services kept everyone fed and hydrated, which is so important when you’re doing this work, and BC Police worked hard to keep us safe and also provided details for the hauling operation, which was vital to the snow removal.” BC Police Lt. Jeffrey Postell said about 25 BCPD staff worked for a 36-hour period during the blizzard, swapping in and out for one another for rest periods. Officers were on the lookout for downed power lines or trees, traffic and road obstructions, and anything else that might threaten public safety. But staff also made every attempt to be pro-active on safety matters, he added: “When we were in the dining and residence halls, we would talk with students whenever we could, and just remind them to be careful. It’s important for them to know that somebody’s watching out for them.” Office of Residential Life staff – especially the 13 residence hall directors and 184 resident assistants – had a somewhat different task

during the two-day shutdown, according to director George Arey. “Their job was to be visible, to help keep students informed about what was happening, to help address problems that might arise, and to give them options for how to pass the time.” Residence hall staff led yoga sessions and liturgical activities, organized ping-pong tournaments and snowman-making contests, and offered up numerous pancake breakfasts, Arey said.

uncertainty about race – “a very important part of this dialogue.” As pleased as they were with the forum, all of the panelists emphasized the need for more such opportunities for discourse; Quigley, in announcing the forum earlier this month, noted that academic departments and programs were planning other events for the semester. The Jesuit Institute is in the midst of helping organize several events, said Fr. Keenan, who added that news and updates would be available via the institute website [www.bc.edu/ centers/jesinst.html]. (A panel discussion scheduled for Tuesday night, “After Ferguson: Race and Social Justice in a PostObama America,” sponsored by the African and African Diaspora Studies and Asian-American Studies programs, the History and English departments and the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Committee, was postponed by the blizzard.) Contact Sean Smith at sean.smith@bc.edu

Some students, of course, had their own ideas about what to do on a snow day, and in at least one case made a very good impression on local residents: Two students in the Commonwealth Avenue residential area shoveled out a neighbor’s car, and refused her offer of payment. “Sometimes, in a situation like this, you think to yourself, ‘How do we get through this?’” Bellavia said. “And then you look at the campus, and you realize we did.” –Sean Smith

Women’s Hockey Ices Another Win Before Big Storm Hits The snowflakes were just starting to fall on Monday afternoon when the Boston College women’s hockey team continued its historic unbeaten streak, defeating Princeton 4-2 in Conte Forum only a few hours before the University closed because of Winter Storm Juno. The game’s starting time had been pushed up to 1 p.m. because of the impending storm. Senior Kate Leary and junior Alex Carpenter scored two goals apiece – Carpenter now has 25 goals for the season – in the victory for BC, which entered the game with a record of 23-0-1, good for a ranking of No. 1 in the country. The Eagles’ next game is scheduled for tonight at Providence College. BC’s regular season ends on Feb. 21 at Boston University. –Office of News & Public Affairs

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LEARNING BEYOND THE CLASSROOM

Border Visit Illuminates BCSSW Immigration Course By Nate Herpich Special to the Chronicle

Once again, the United States is at a crossroads on the issue of immigration. In the wake of President Obama’s recent executive order allowing some five million undocumented persons to stay in the US at least temporarily, community leaders across the country are faced with the challenge of building new systems to better integrate immigrants into American life. An innovative course at the Boston College School of Social Work is addressing this challenge head-on, and offering a unique field-based experience for a next generation of social workers devoted to shaping immigration policy. Services to Migrants: A Border Perspective is co-taught by BCSSW Associate Professor of Macro Practice Westy Egmont, director of the BC Immigrant Integration Lab, and part-time faculty member Maryanne Loughry, RSM, associate director of Jesuit Refugee Service Australia and an advisor to the Australian government on migration and refugee matters. The course included two weeks of recent intensive on-the-ground inquiry along the Arizona/Mexico border. Twelve select MSW students walked the desert where hundreds of thousands of immi-

School of Social Work Associate Professor of Macro Practice Westy Egmont, director of the BC Immigrant Integration Lab, and part-time faculty member Maryanne Loughry, RSM, associate director of Jesuit Refugee Service Australia, took a group of students to the Arizona-Mexico border as part of an innovative course on immigration. (Photo courtesy of BCSSW)

grants have crossed into the United States, and where many others have died; they visited detention centers where undocumented men, women and children are locked up between countries; and they met face to face with migrants who described their experiences in search of a better life. It was these personal stories of perseverance that made the greatest impact on MSW student Luzelly Frias. Visiting a detention center on the American side of the border, Frias recognized a detainee whom she had met just two days earlier at the Kino Border

Initiative (KBI) Aid Center for Deported Migrants in Mexico, a bi-national Jesuit organization that gives direct humanitarian care to migrants and promotes change in immigration policy. They exchanged nods of recognition, and she noticed that he was now wearing the jumpsuit issued to all those in the facility. “It made it so real to be able to say, ‘I know that person, I had breakfast with him, and he is a person with a story and a family,’” said Frias. “It’s thought-provoking to be able to put a face to this truly pressing social justice issue.”

One morning, the group was guided on a desert walk by Kathy Babcock, a volunteer with the Green Valley Sahuarita Samaritans, which provides water, food, and first aid to migrants suffering from heat, dehydration and other injuries associated with the often grueling trek from places as far away as Central America. The desert told its own story of migration. Kelly Morgan, a dual-degree candidate in BCSSW and BC Law School, noted that among the harsh landscape were countless memorials to those who have perished, as well as shoes left behind, completely worn through from days of walking. On a separate visit to a border crossing, the group saw a memorial to a fallen teenager, allegedly shot by border police for throwing rocks. Bullet holes remained, riddling a nearby fence. “We heard a lot during the week about how immigration policy in America has been changed in recent years, so that crossing the border is now a criminal offense,” Morgan said. “In our detention centers, drug runners are locked up next to women and children. It was eye-opening to learn who, in their eyes, was a criminal. “I’m opposed to our system of locking people up and warehous-

ing them. Seeing this firsthand has only solidified my desire to learn the law and defend immigrant communities.” Throughout the course, Morgan and her classmates engaged in informed conversations around immigration in America, to help them develop the necessary tools to promote social changes and policy interventions toward establishing a more just system. Discussing the importance of dispelling myths that often adversely affect policy, Egmont said current rhetoric on the imminent need for increased border enforcement belies the reality: Statistics actually show a downward trend in the number of undocumented immigrants in the US, and net zero migration from Mexico. “BC has a long, distinct history of border visits devoted to cultural immersion and service,” said Egmont, an advisor on immigration to five Massachusetts governors. “But this graduate course was different: Its emphasis was on understanding the systems of national protection and migrant intervention currently in place. “My hope for this unique group is that many of them will go forward in possession of this knowledge, in pursuit of improved policies and more humane practice.” –Nate Herpich writes for the Boston College School of Social Work

Connell School of Nursing Global Program Expands to Chile By Kathleen Sullivan Staff Writer

The Connell School of Nursing’s Global Summer University has added a new partner: Pontifical Catholic University of Chile (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile) in Santiago, considered a premier university in South America. Launched in 2010, the Global Summer University is an academic partnership between CSON and two Swiss universities: Haute école de santé Vaud (HESAV) and LaSource. The universities offer a three-credit, four-week global health course held alternately at Boston College and in Lausanne, Switzerland. The course is taught by faculty from CSON, HESAV and LaSource and is open to students from these universities. Topics range from the commonalities and differences in health care systems and policies to public health, especially among underserved populations. Four Pontifical Catholic University (PUC) students, the

school’s director of international programs and director of undergraduate programs traveled to BC last summer where they joined eight BC students and 16 Swiss students in the course “Global Health Care: Meeting Challenges and Making Connections.” PUC will host the program in January 2016. Clinical Associate Professor Colleen Simonelli, who coordinates the program, pointed to the opportunities that will result from the addition of the Chilean university. “This will help BC foster faculty exchanges and interdisciplinary research; and PUC is interested in fostering faculty development and building research partnerships.” Earlier this month, Simonelli and Associate Dean for Research Barbara Wolfe traveled to PUC to firm up plans for the course’s debut in Chile next year, and to explore ways the faculty from both institutions can work together. The BC representatives heard talks from several PUC faculty members. Wolfe and Simonel-

li offered advice on how PUC might fulfill their goal of having their peer-reviewed journal gain recognition from an accreditation group. The BC contingent also toured private and public hospitals and a community health center. Simonelli noted that the Chilean health care system is faced with a lack of resources and staffing that affects everything from infection control to patient care. In the ICU, where the most critical patients are, one nurse was responsible for six patients. In the US, the nurse-patient ratio for the most critical patients is one to one. In the Chilean health center, there was no doctor present and the nurse in charge was not a nurse practitioner, which Simonelli said limited her ability to completely care for the patients. “The advanced practice nurse role does not exist there,” noted Simonelli, adding that there is a severe lack of doctoral-level nurses in leadership and teaching roles in Chile. It is an area where she thinks BC can offer avenues for

further educational advancement. Despite some shortcomings, the Chilean health care system offered lessons for the Americans, said Simonelli. Part of her trip included a visit with faith healers, who are held in high esteem among the indigenous people. In Chile, the faith healers work from huts set up near the health centers and hospitals. They would perform a faith healing ceremony and then refer the patients to the medical facilities. “The complementary care in Chile is leagues ahead of where the US is, with our battles between east and west [medicine] and our lack of consideration of cultural beliefs,” she said. According to Simonelli, both CSON and PUC are hoping this new relationship might evolve to include a community health semester abroad for students from both institutions. CSON sophomore Kelly Powers traveled to Chile with Simonelli and Wolfe. She was one of the students enrolled in the global health care course last summer

and in June will travel to Switzerland along with 15 other BC students and five CSON faculty members to partake in the course offered in that country. “I learned about Chilean and Swiss health care both in and out of the classroom through field trips to local health care centers and conversations with my peers,” said Powers. “My stay with a host family was a critical part of my experience because I learned more about Chilean culture and habits through becoming part of a family. Participating in this program made me more conscious of the influence different cultures have on health care practices both in and out of hospitals. “I think international experiences with other future nurses not only show students the global importance and need for nurses but also inspires students as they learn about new cultures, practices, and ideas.” Contact Kathleen Sullivan at kathleen.sullivan @bc.edu

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Promoting leadership and civic participation among young women was the theme of a workshop held earlier this month at Boston College. Forty-eight BC undergraduates representing all four undergraduate classes attended “Elect Her – Campus Women Win,” a national program that trains college women to run for student government and future political office. The event, held Jan. 17 in the Heights Room of Corcoran Commons, was supported by a grant awarded by the program’s sponsors, the American Association of University Women and Running Start; BC was one of 50 sites around the US and Jamaica to offer the program. The 48 participants were nominated by faculty members and administrators based on their experience with, and demonstrated interest in, leadership opportunities, according to Katie Dalton, director of the BC Women’s Center, which co-sponsored the workshop with the Career Center, Office of Student Programs and Undergraduate Government of Boston College. The five-hour event included a talk on networking, a panel discussion with students involved in campus government and journalism, a presentation on social media by Office of News & Public Affairs Social Media Manager Melissa Beecher and a small-group exercise in running a political campaign. Associate Vice President for Student Affairs Joseph Du Point spoke, as did Aileen Kenney, a Milton Town Meeting member.

“The main idea that the workshop tried to convey was the importance of women’s voices, whether on the international, national or local level,” said Dalton. “A majority of the students at the outset said they didn’t want to run for office, but that started to change as the day progressed. We tried to show how significant leadership is on many kinds of levels – being president of a student club, for example, or being a member of your town meeting, like Aileen.” Encouraging women to seek leadership roles on a larger scale – especially in the civic or political arena – is challenging, she said, not least because women may have self-doubts. She noted one study that found women are less likely than men to seek public office if they believe they do not meet enough assumed qualifications. Dalton expressed appreciation for her co-organizers’ assistance in putting together an event she described as a good starting point for a continuing conversation. “You had almost 50 students come out on a cold Saturday of a long weekend in January, and be very engaged and thoughtful on an important topic. What’s next is to find ways of keeping the momentum going and expanding the dialogue, perhaps by utilizing services through the Career Center. “Perhaps there could be a yearlong program for all students, male and female, because leadership and civic engagement is something everyone should think about.” –Sean Smith

Theologian Cahill Wins Award for Excellence

J. Donald Monan, SJ, Professor of Theology Lisa Sowle Cahill has received the 2015 Yves Congar Award for Theological Excellence. Named in honor of Cardinal Yves Congar (1904-1995), the award – presented annually by Barry University in Miami Shores, Fla. – recognizes the contributions of contemporary theologians working, writing, and teaching in the Catholic tradition, and spurring that tradition to meet the challenges of today. “I’m honored to be recognized with the Yves Congar Award,” said Cahill, who was presented with the award Jan. 14, and joins previous Boston College winners M. Shawn Copeland and Roberto Goizueta. “Congar recognized that to move a tradition forward, it is essential to push the boundaries of the past, and that if we want to make our theologies stronger, we need to learn from the realities of our world.” A nationally noted ethicist and author of numerous publications, Cahill is past president of both the Catholic Theological Society of America and the Society of Christian Ethics, and a recipient of the CTSA John Courtney Murray Award and the Ignatian Award from Santa Clara University as well as nearly a dozen honorary degrees. In conjunction with the award presentation, Cahill presented the lecture “Catholic Families: Theology, Practices, and ‘Evangelization.’” –Kathleen Sullivan

St. Columbkille Partnership School in Brighton has received four grants totaling $1.65 million from area foundations and a local business to support and enhance academic programs and ongoing capital improvements, and which will pave the way for the expansion of the middle school, recently designated Loyola Academy at Saint Columbkille. School officials said the foundation grants include $1 million from the Yawkey Foundation, $300,000 from the Flatley Foundation and $100,000 from the Birmingham Foundation, as well as $250,000 from longtime supporters Rick and Cathy Roche. Collectively, these gifts represent one of the largest single-year foundation contributions to a K-8 school in the Archdiocese of Boston. Since its inception in 2006 as a partnership between Boston College, the Archdiocese of Boston and St. Columbkille Parish, the St. Columbkille Partnership School has seen a 170 percent increase in enrollment, from 140 to 380 students, reversing the trend of urban diocesan schools in Boston and throughout the nation. The foundation grants will enable the school to expand to 500 students. Boston College has invested more than $4 million in the K-8 Catholic school during the past eight years as part of the University’s commitment to sustain the last Catholic elementary school in neighboring Allston-Brighton. “We offer an excellent education that has attracted students from Allston-Brighton and 16 commu-

Lee Pellegrini

‘Elect Her’ Leadership-Building Grants Aimed at Helping St. Columbkille Event Draws Favorable Response School to Enhance and Expand Programs

St. Columbkille Partnership School Head of School William Gartside, left, and St. Columbkille Partnership Board Chairman Peter McLaughlin.

nities throughout the region,” said Head of School William Gartside. “There is a critical need for quality, Catholic, middle school education for more area students. Support from the four foundations enables us to better address this need.” St. Columbkille Parish School was founded in 1901 to serve the burgeoning population of Irish immigrants. The school experienced declining enrollment beginning in the 1980s, but was transformed by the partnership with Boston College, the Archdiocese of Boston and St. Columbkille Parish. Since then, more than 90 percent of the school’s teachers have earned master’s degrees from Boston College, and BC’s Lynch School of Education has assisted the school in adopting a research-based curriculum, a strong early childhood program and a technology-centered elementary education program. “We are a community school that provides a superior education

at an affordable cost,” said St. Columbkille Partnership Board Chairman Peter McLaughlin. “Our partnership with BC and its Lynch School of Education has created a winning formula that appeals to parents not only in our host community, but in surrounding communities including Newton, Watertown, Waltham, Cambridge, Brookline and West Roxbury. “Our efforts are bolstered by a financial aid budget of $400,000, which enables 40 percent of our students to receive financial aid. With these foundation grants and the Roches’ gift, and an expanded middle school, we can ensure that the school will flourish for generations to come.” Said Gartside, “It is an exciting time for all of us at St. Columbkille School. One of the best Catholic schools in New England just got better and now has the funding to grow and thrive in the years ahead.” –Jack Dunn

Retired Faculty Association Announces Grant Winners Founded more than a decade ago, the Boston College Association of Retired Faculty (BCARF) has established itself as a locus of social, intellectual and service activity for retired faculty. BCARF’s monthly slate includes a general program meeting with a featured lecture, a seminar for faculty research presentations, and a book club – which includes an annual trip to the location of a featured book, such as the New Bedford Whaling Museum and the John and Abigail Adams house in Quincy. Association members also go on tours of new exhibitions at the McMullen Museum of Art, and attend an end-of-academic-year banquet at which newly retired faculty are welcomed. In addition, retired faculty can apply for grants to fund research-related activities and projects; a committee appointed by the BCARF Executive Committee reviews applications and awards the grants. Recently, the following faculty mem-

bers had their proposals approved for funding: •Matilda Bruckner (“Travel Expenses for Modern Language Association Annual Convention 2015”) •Jean Mooney (“Project to Design Academic Support for Students Who Struggle in a Catholic School Environment”) •Rebecca Valette (“Production of a Book: Navajo Weavings with Ceremonial Themes”) •Judith Wilt (“Attendance at the Bi-annual Conference of the International Gothic Association”) Wilt also was among faculty who presented at last fall’s research seminars, speaking on “Writing ‘Romance’: from the Dissertation to ‘the Retirement Book’,” along with Dennis Sardella (“Language and Symbolism in Icons”) and Rosemarie Bodenheimer (“Edgar and Brigitte: German/Jewish/American Lives”). Other faculty who have given talks in the past few years have included Dennis Taylor, Carol

Hurd Green, John Dacey, Michael Clarke, Rachel Spector, Alan Lawson, Joseph Appleyard, SJ, David Northrup and Dwayne Carpenter. This semester’s research seminars feature Walt Haney – who presented “Using Drawings in Research and Teaching (and War)” on Jan. 22 – Fr. Robert Imbelli, Matilda Bruckner and Laurel Eisenhauer. “These seminars, which are led by Dennis Taylor, are probably our most significant activity,” said BCARF President Jean O’Neil. “They are well attended, with a lot of cross-discipline participation. Recently, a member commented that an interdisciplinary atmosphere offers better supportive feedback for developing research, books, and papers for conference presentations than when depending only on departmental involvement.” For information on the Boston College Association of Retired Faculty, see www.bc.edu/sites/retiredfaculty. html. –Sean Smith

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Gary Wayne Gilbert

Newsmakers

Carroll School of Management Assistant Professor of Management and Organization Sean Martin, who taught at Cornell University for three years while earning his doctorate, centers his expertise on leadership, values, and ethics. While at Cornell, he collaborated with a team of researchers to develop and pilot a cutting-edge ethics and leadership course on ethical decision-making. His dissertation won competitions sponsored by Notre Dame and Duke and was a finalist for another at INFORMS/Organization Science. Martin was awarded a Catalyst Grant from the Carroll School for ongoing research exploring leadership development among executives. His research has been published in top academic outlets such as Administrative Science Quarterly, Journal of Business Ethics, and Organizational Psychology Review. Carroll School of Management Assistant Professor of Marketing Nailya Ordabayeva, a former faculty member of the Rotterdam School of Management in the Netherlands, earned her doctorate and master’s of science at INSEAD in Fontainebleau, France, after graduating at the top of her undergraduate class at Bilkent University in Turkey. Her research focuses on the influence of consumers’ visual perception of package and portion size on health and consumption decisions, and of wealth distributions on spending and saving decisions. At BC, Ordabayeva – who is teaching Marketing Research – helped create the Carroll School’s Consumer Insights Panel, which helps CSOM researchers collect immediate and targeted data in behavioral research [see http://bit.ly/1BRqSXI]. The winner of the 2014 Journal of Consumer Research “Best Article Award,” Ordabayeva has published her work in the Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Marketing Research, Journal of Marketing, Journal of Consumer Psychology and Journal of Public Policy, among others. Her findings have received coverage in media outlets such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, Forbes magazine and USA Today. Assistant Professor of English Eric Weiskott specializes in Old English and Middle English poetry, prosody and poetics, digital humanities, history of the book, and history of the English language. The Durable Alliterative Tradition, his current book project, is a cultural history of the English alliterative meter, c. 6501550 CE, and he has published related articles and essays. Also a poet, his first chapbook, Sharp Fish, was published in 2008. Weiskott’s courses include first-year composition, Studies in Poetry, undergraduate seminars on Chaucer and Middle English alliterative poetry, and graduate seminars on Chaucer and Middle English meters. He seeks new ways to bring digital technology to bear on the historical study of poetry [see http:// bit.ly/1GHjnpe]. Weiskott received a bachelor’s degree from Wesleyan University and a doctorate in English from Yale University. Assistant Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences Corinne I. Wong’s research looks at the processes that influence water availability and quality, and uses geological clues from past eras to better understand the potential impact of future climate change. Wong has studied the connection between ocean temperatures and drought conditions in the western United States, and visited the Amazon to study cave deposits to understand the variability of regional monsoon intensity. Wong earned her doctorate at the University of Texas and was a post-doctoral researcher last year at the University of California, Davis. –Sean Hennessey, Rosanne Pellegrini and Ed Hayward Photos by Lee Pellegrini

Prof. Ray Madoff (Law) weighed in on President Obama’s proposal to raise the capital gains and inheritance taxes, and to close the so-called “angel of death” tax loophole, in an interview with WGBH-FM. The City Connects program, based in the Lynch School of Education under the direction of Kearns Professor Mary Walsh and currently at work in more than 60 schools in three states, last year helped students and families at Catholic Central Schools in Ohio with nearly 3,000 services and thousands of hours of extra support and enrichment, as noted by the Springfield News-Sun. As the so-called “Deflategate” controversy flared last week, Ferris Professor of Physics Michael Naughton explained to the Boston Herald and WCVB-TV that cold weather can affect pressure, which could have been the reason for the underinflated footballs used in the Patriots-Colts AFC Championship game. He also spoke with the Boston Globe and ABC News. There are suggestions that the tragic events in Paris may also be the continuation of an unfinished chapter in French history, wrote Assoc. Prof. Jonathan Laurence (Political Science) in Foreign Affairs.

On Jan. 14, Burns Library held a reception and presented a gift to former Burns Rare Book Conservator Mark Esser – who was formally introduced by Burns Librarian Christian Dupont – in acknowledgement of his contributions to the field of book conservation. The event was held in conjunction with a Burns exhibit on Esser’s work.

The New York Times noted research by Carroll School of Management Prof. Pierluigi Balduzzi and Assoc. Prof. Jonathan Reuter highlighting complexities of target-date retirement funds.

BC BRIEFING Boston Catholic TV’s “This Is the Day” ran a segment on Law School Chaplain/Special Assistant to the Associate Dean Fred Enman, SJ, who as executive director and founder of the nonprofit Matthew 25, strives to rehabilitate abandoned houses in the Boston area for people in need. Center for Work and Family Execu-

NOTA BENE Louise McMahon Ahearn Professor of Social Work James Lubben served as chairman for the Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR) annual conference, held earlier this month in New Orleans. The society’s 2015 conference, “The Social and Behavioral Importance of Increased Longevity,” examined cultural, social and various health-related perspectives on the implications of an increased lifespan, and featured a plenary session that included Boston College Center on Aging and Work Director Marcie Pitt-Catsouphes. According to Lubben, the conference saw record numbers of participants, abstracts received and accepted, and oral and poster presentations. The SSWR is a non-profit, professional membership organization that supports social workers, social welfare professionals, social work students, social work faculty and researchers in related fields. [Read a conversation with James Lubben about the SSWR Conference and related topics at the BC Social Work blog, http://bit.ly/1xxKfx7.] Professor of History Robin Fleming has been named a Fellow of the Medieval Academy of America, the largest organization in the United States promoting excellence in the field of medieval studies. Fleming, whose most recent book is Britain After Rome: The Fall and Rise of the Middle Ages, c. 400–c. 1050 won a MacArthur Foundation “Genius” Grant in 2013, the first Boston College faculty member to be awarded the prestigious award. She also is a fellow of the Massachusetts Historical Society, the Royal Historical Society and the London Society of Antiquaries. “This is another thoroughly deserved honor for Robin Fleming. Her work on material culture and historical archeology places her at the vanguard not only of medievalist scholarship but of the discipline of history as a whole,” said History Professor and Chairman Kevin Kenny.

tive Director Brad Harrington discussed modern fathers’ reluctance to take paternity leave on California public radio KQED’s “The Forum.” The best thing the Fed can do to help bring about more sizable wage gains is stick to its current strategy, gradually but decisively bringing its monetary policy back to normal, according to Murray and Monti Professor of Economics Peter Ireland in a piece for Economics 21. Assoc. Prof. of the Practice Michael C. Keith (Communication) was interviewed about his latest book on Somerville Cable’s “Poet to Poet/Writer to Writer” program.

Time and a Half Prof. Margaret Thomas (Slavic and Eastern Languages and Literatures) and graduate students Bryan Fleming and Eric Jackson attended the Linguistic Society of America annual meeting in Portland, Ore.

JOBS The following are among the most recent positions posted by the Department of Human Resources. For more information on employment opportunities at Boston College, see www.bc.edu/offices/hr: Assistant Director for Residential Ministry Assistant Director for Marketing and Communications, Career Center Assistant Director for Finance, Auxiliary Services Director for Faculty Programs, Center for Teaching Excellence Manager, Student Support Services Assistant Manager, Dining Services Director of Assessment and Accreditation, Lynch School of Education Associate University Librarian Research Economist, Center for Retirement Research Assistant/Associate Director for Parents’ Fundraising, Development

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Chronicle january 30, 2015

“Mr. Bach Comes to BC”

A performance for the entire family with harpsichordist Peter Watchorn and musicians from the Bach Cantata Series at Emmanuel Church, directed by part-time faculty member Barbara Gawlick (Music). Feb. 8, 4 p.m., Lyons 423; sponsored by the Music Department

By Rosanne Pellegrini Staff Writer

An exhibition opening next month at the McMullen Museum of Art examines the multifaceted interaction between Roman imperial culture and local traditions throughout the eastern Mediterranean, through artifacts of daily life, politics, technology and religion. Running from Feb. 14 to May 31, “Roman in the Provinces: Art on the Periphery of Empire,” organized by the Yale University Art Gallery and the McMullen Museum of Art, includes objects from across the empire, a region rich in ancient civilizations. Many of the works have rarely, or never before, been on view to the public. Their juxtaposition presents a rich image of life in the Roman provinces between the 2nd and 6th century CE. The public is invited to join the Boston College community at an opening reception for “Roman in the Provinces” on Feb. 16 at 7 p.m. The event will include remarks from McMullen Museum Director and Professor of Art History Nancy Netzer and exhibition curators Assistant Professor of Classical Studies Gail L. Hoffman and Lisa R. Brody, associate curator of ancient art at Yale University Art Gallery.

BC SCENES

“This exhibit encourages visitors to expand their view of what it meant to be Roman,” says “Roman in the Provinces” co-curator Gail Hoffman, “and in doing this to deepen their understanding and appreciation of the accomplishments of this ancient society.” Mention of the Roman Empire conjures images of sculpted marble emperors, elaborately engineered aqueducts and conquering soldiers. While in the public mind imperial Rome often recalls a consistent cultural lens – people speaking Latin and wearing togas, watching gladiatorial games and enjoying public baths – in reality the empire was vast and diverse, with a multitude of cultural identities, as “Roman in the Provinces” makes clear. Inhabitants of even the empire’s far-flung provinces – Britain, Gaul, Turkey, Syria, Egypt and Tunisia – were all “Roman,” but to varying degrees. By 212 CE the empire had extended Roman citizenship to all free men within its borders, while continuing to accommodate and incorporate the region’s different languages, religions, and cultures.

This was a major reason for the empire’s strength and longevity. McMullen exhibition organizers say scholars studying Roman art and archaeology recently have turned their attention to these myriad local cultures, fascinated by what material culture may reveal about the lives and experiences of local people living in the provinces of the empire. On display in “Roman in the Provinces” are rare artifacts from the collection of the Yale University Art Gallery, including a newly conserved 6th-century floor mosaic from Gerasa and wall painting from a Roman house at Dura-Europos, both discovered during University excavations at their respective sites, with additional loans from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Princeton Univer-

sity Art Museum, and the Walters Art Museum. The exhibition also highlights a rich selection of Egyptian textiles of the 4th to 9th century CE from the local private collection of Donald and Barbara Tellalian. Also displayed will be a wide array of objects – mosaics, textiles, pottery, inscriptions, sculpture, glass and coins – that reveal how earlier cultural interaction intensified during the empire, through access to trade and transport networks and new technologies. “The McMullen Museum is pleased to collaborate once again with the Yale University Art Gallery on a groundbreaking exhibition that explores through the material evidence in various media what it meant to be ‘Roman’ on the periphery of the empire,” said Netzer. “The exhibition encourages viewers to ponder the limitations of the concept ‘Roman art’ as it pertains to production in the farflung provinces, each of which had an indigenous artistic tradition.” By viewing these objects as part of a global culture and as local expressions of cultural identity, exhibition organizers say, visitors are encouraged to question what it actually meant to be Roman and gain a broadened understanding of the Roman Empire.

FAITH, HOPE, UNITY The memory and legacy of civil rights legend Martin Luther King Jr. provided a focus for some recent Boston College events. University President William P. Leahy, SJ, and Campus Minister Michael Davidson, SJ, (in photo at left) concelebrated the annual Mass for a Celebration of Faith and Hope on Jan. 18 in St. Ignatius Church (below). On Jan. 22, the Black Faculty, Staff and Administrators Association Unity Breakfast took place in the Heights Room of Corcoran Commons (right), featuring a talk by senior Patience Marks, at right in photo below with Learning to Learn Director Dan Bunch and College of Arts and Sciences Honors Program Assoc. Prof. of the Practice Susan Michalczyk.

Lee Pellegrini

Frank Curran

“People tend to envision the Roman Empire through the imperial portrait busts, togate statues, and Latin tombstones that fill many museums or in the brick and marble amphitheaters, arches, fora, and baths of famous ancient cities,” said Hoffman. “Yet the range of material culture and languages used by inhabitants in this empire’s huge territorial expanse was much more varied. “Archaeologists are only now beginning to explore fully the multicultural nature of its many provinces and to grapple with the numerous identities expressed through the objects which its millions of inhabitants used every day. This exhibit encourages visitors to expand their view of what it meant to be Roman and in doing this to deepen their understanding and appreciation of the accomplishments of this ancient society.” “Roman in the Provinces” is underwritten by Sharon and Richard A. Hurowitz, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Yale University Art Gallery Exhibition and Publication Fund, Boston College, the Patrons of the McMullen Museum, and Leslie and Peter Ciampi. For directions, parking, and program information, call the McMullen Museum at (617)5528100 or see the museum’s website at www.bc.edu/artmuseum. Contact Rosanne Pellegrini at rosanne.pellegrini@bc.edu Lee Pellegrini